I regret little, but in looking back I am disappointed at my not participating in a reflection project for 2011. That year was so excruciating and painful and joyful and liberating and full that it is very much a blur of change. I should have recorded some part of it - though a peek into my December Daily 2011 will certainly give an indication to why the project did not get completed!

I enjoyed participating in reverb10 which resulted in a beautiful blog, a wonderful keepsake album and a collection of incredible memories - fully recorded. For 2010, I will always remember where I was and where I was planning on going. I want to go through that same exercise again for 2012. This past year was equally worth remembering.

Not that I have an abundance of time this year, but I do have a great desire, so that will have to do! I have curated a number of prompts from many resources. Those I've selected can be found below as well as a few of my own, they have each been attributed as best I can.

20 December 2012

day twenty | health

prompt: health

Do you consider yourself to be in good health? What choices have you made to improve the way you live to be more healthy? (Author: Me)

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All things considered, I think I’m in pretty good health - especially considering I’ve never focused on it until recently, well in my late 40s.

As far as I know, everything is in working order – with and without pharmaceutical help – the only thing I have to do is work some parts harder than others.

Chronic Asthma - this has been a constant companion since I was 14. It’s far better now, but I really should start taking my medication on a more regular basis. It’s just so darned expensive at $250 per disk! The best thing I did over a decade ago was quit a 2+ pack a day habit of smoking cigarettes. I smoked for close to 30 years! Crazy. There are times, particularly times of high stress, that I am overwhelmed with a need to have a cigarette. I take a deep breath and then brush my teeth. That’s how I quit in the first place – changed my habit from smoking to brushing. It still works!

Psoriasis – this seemed to arrive at the same time as the asthma. It all seemed stress induced. Over the years it comes and goes, it really depends on my level of stress or pregnancy :S Right now, with much effort and assistance from my wonderful naturopath, it is under control. My scalp and elbows are all cleared up and I have two small(ish) spots on the front of my knees. I don’t know that I’m not surrounded with stress, I’m just learning how to deal with it and not internalizing it as much as I have in the past.

Thyroid Disease – according to the doctor in Canyon Ranch, I’ve had this disease since my late 20s but it was only just diagnosed. Now that I’m on medication the change in me is remarkable. I had forgotten what it was like to be me and comfortable in my own skin. I am glad to be making my way back to normal. I don’t know that I have it under control 100%, but I’m confident with a great doctor and regular blood tests, I’ll manage things for now.

Frozen Shoulder – a condition that comes and goes and it gets really bad with stress. You don’t realize how important your shoulders are until you can’t use them and your arms are locked at your sides. Seriously scary stuff. I continue to do regular physio-therapy exercises to make sure I never go through the pain and frustration of this condition ever again.

While I experience these comparatively minor inconveniences, friends are dealing with so many more dire and awful diseases: breast cancer, depression, fibro myalgia, lupus, and more, I know that my health is, as I said at the start, good. I count my blessings every day. I am learning to be more respectful of this one body I’ve been given and am making a concentrated effort to eat better in order to feel better. Into 2013 my mantra is MOVE MORE.

I just need to continue doing what I’m doing and add in one simple thing: get off my ample ass and MOVE.